Attention
by KitKat-Pyrophobia
Summary: There were so many things that Al and Scorpius would have noticed if they would have just paid attention... Scorpius/Al oneshot


**Disclaimer: ***disappointment in the fact that I have to include one at all

**A/N:** So, I sometimes get random inspiration where I imagine fluffy little slash scenes with these two, and I usually write them down as separate ideas in Word. Seeing that I had like 20 different stories with one scene each, I decided to combine them all in one story :D

I wrote the first half of this in early July of 2010… and I'm just finishing the second half now?

Dedicated to **pigeonattack**, because I've successfully converted her to the dark side :D

* * *

Albus Potter's legs felt like jelly as he walked down the seemingly-endless corridor of the fabled Hogwarts Express. Nerves were rising from his stomach into his throat so violently that he felt like he was about to vomit any second.

"Come _on_, Al," The slight boy's cousin Rose urged from in front of him, having looked back to see him stalling. The over-eager girl was already dressed in her robes, making Albus feel underdressed and inferior in his Muggle t-shirt and jeans.

The single hallway was more crowded than he'd expected, with too many people forcing themselves into each single compartment. He recognized a select few faces from his trips to Diagon Alley or Quidditch games, but he couldn't put a name to any of them… until they reached one compartment near the very back of the train. There was only one person sitting there, and there wasn't any question in Al's mind as to the reason.

The raven-haired boy had been getting stares in his direction ever since he stepped out of his father's car into the train station; they'd only grown more obvious and gawking when he went through the pillar to Platform 9¾. None of the looks and accompanying whispers had grown any quieter since he walked the corridor with his ostentatious redheaded cousin and boisterous older brother who'd put him in the spotlight when he was trying to just blend in. Al felt entirely ostracized no matter how he looked at it… he imagined the boy in the compartment was feeling something similar.

"Al, where are you going?" Rose asked when she realized her cousin was no longer walking behind her.

"I'm going to sit with Scorpius Malfoy," Al said, the sureness in his voice surprising him a bit.

"But we're supposed to go meet up with James and Fred,"

"You go ahead, then," He was perfectly pleasant.

Rose looked conflicted. "All right…" She said hesitantly. "Just be careful,"

He actually laughed. "Careful? Of what?" Smiling, he rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Rosie…"

The tall girl shrugged with a guilty sort of grin before walking away.

Feeling an unfamiliar confidence, Al slipped open the translucent door.

The other boy's platinum head turned from an oversized book taking up his entire lap up to the doorway.

Al felt a good amount of the confidence dissolve as he looked into his slightly-pointed face.

"C-can I sit here?" His voice shook, barely noticeably.

"Sure," Scorpius replied in a prepubescent, raspy voice, blond head bowing a bit as his cheeks tinged pink.

Al smiled in relief. No matter how him family had mentioned that Draco Malfoy wasn't very nice, his son seemed friendly enough. He crossed to the opposite side of the small room from the boy who looked to be just as small as short, skinny Albus.

"I'm Albus Potter," He shook his head quickly, "Sorry, Al Potter. I hate to be called Albus." He retracted his words sheepishly.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy," The blond said with a small smile.

Al smiled warmly back at him.

His cheeks tinted pink again and he nodded, his eyes at the floor.

There was a constant silence between them after that, but not the sort that was painstakingly obvious, and stiflingly awkward. It was the type held by two people who were comfortable enough in each other's' presence that they didn't need words to fill the air between them to know that they were going to be fast friends.

It was rather easy to notice, once they paid attention, that they were more alike than they'd initially thought.

* * *

Scorpius leaned back onto the rear legs of his chair from where he sat at the desk in his bedroom, bored out of his mind.

His best friend Albus was on vacation with his family to some nondescript location in France, and even though Al had begged Scorpius to go and Scorpius in turn begged his father to go, he still sat in his own room in Malfoy Manor, awaiting an owl from Al.

The boys were best friends since they met on the train. It was only reinforced when, despite Al's wishes, both were Sorted into Slytherin. Having ended up two of only three First Year Slytherin boys, they were forced to spend a good amount of their time together. Though both boys were very shy, they eventually began speaking to each other. After their first few awkward, friendly conversations, they were inseparable.

Admittedly, it was a bit difficult to tell his father that Albus Potter was his best friend, and it would be a lie to say that Draco received the information well. Still, Al learned to get used to the fact that Draco didn't exactly like his family, just as Scorpius learned to ignore the odd stares he received from Al's family. It was all worth it, really, since Albus was really the first person who was ever so attached to him to the point where he wanted to remain friends.

After two years together, save for Winter, Easter, and Summer breaks, it was almost deathly boring for Scorpius to be without the Potter.

If anyone else paid attention, they would notice, even in the middle of Al's fun-filled vacation with his family, just how much the boys missed each other.

* * *

There were some things about Third Year that really just made Albus concerned for him and his best friend's health.

The guys were beginning to mature, just beginning to fill out into their scrawny little figures or lose some of their baby fat. But it was the _girls _that all the guys took note of.

The girls were starting to get… well, shapely, starting to wear makeup and pay attention to their hair and look… pretty.

This sudden transformation of what seemed like every single girl in their Year left Al and Scorpius slightly… dazed. And surprised. And satisfied. Scorpius a bit more so than Al.

Even Al's cousin Rose was beginning to look very pretty, with a more mature cut to her springy red hair and a figure that no longer looked so gangly and awkward in her uniform. Still, she was the same Rosie who had been his best friend since birth.

One morning, she got up from their usual place at the Slytherin breakfast table (Rose never having cared that she was really supposed to eat at the Gryffindor table with the rest of her House) to go to the library before class.

Scorpius stared at her all the way out.

Al was almost… offended by this. That was his _cousin_. "What are you looking at, Scorpius?" He asked coolly.

"You know," Scorpius said with glazed-over eyes and pink-tinted cheeks, "Rose is really pretty."

The offense Al felt in the first place only grew tenfold at his friend's admission.

They spent the rest of the day in silence.

If Al were to look back on that day, he would realize that what he felt at the time wasn't offense or protectiveness for his cousin, but jealousy at Scorpius's words.

* * *

Albus was quite sure that his life was over.

He was thirteen years old, and he knew that it was perfectly natural, but that did _not _mean that he was okay with the fact that "becoming a man" included bloody _pimples_!

The thing was absolutely horrendous, sitting on the very tip of his elfish nose like it owned the thing! And if the horrible aesthetics of it wasn't bad enough, it _hurt_. Every time he tweaked his nose or wrinkled it or barely touched it, it felt like he was _stabbing _himself!

There was absolutely _nothing _fair about the situation.

Scorpius was the same age he was, yet the blond's skin was clear as ever. He'd yet to have a single visible pimple. And it made Al positively green with envy.

And yet, even as much as Al _loathed _the thing, he didn't make a show about it. He knew it was on his face, and he knew that people could see it. He knew that it meant that he was just… growing up in a sense, and he honestly couldn't care less what people thought it looked like.

And despite his "head-held-high" attitude, there was _one _exception to the rule…

Even unconsciously as it was, the only person Al ever hid the pimple from was Scorpius.

* * *

Scorpius blamed it on the bone-chilling weather of the December months. It was him and Al's first trip to Hogsmeade in the winter time, and their lack of proper outerwear was really taking its toll on them.

Not even a warm butterbeer stopped their teeth from chattering.

So, Scorpius used the excuse of the _freezing _weather for the reason that he felt inclined to sit so close to Albus on the bench, skin touching and body heat mixing until their flushed skin was almost _searing _in the midst of the bitter weather.

If he would have paid attention, Scorpius would have noticed the way that they kept their arms and shoulders pressed together even well after they were warm.

* * *

The two had a routine for Winter Break after their three years of friendship. They would spend the first week at Al's house, one week with their respective families, and then one week at Scorpius's house. It was just mutually understood, as the first week ended, that Scorpius was going to go home.

The blond went around the Potter household hugging everyone he could get his arms around, thanking them for letting him stay and wishing them Happy Holidays.

But he noticed with a bit of an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach that, even over Rose Weasley (who he may or may not have had a bit of a crush on), he felt the most comfortable, most happy when his arms were around his best friend Albus. In turn, from that day forward, he tended to hug Al just a bit longer than he hugged anyone else.

* * *

"Al, this was your idea," Scorpius reminded his friend for what seemed like the billionth time that night in a near-inaudible whisper for fear of getting caught by a teacher.

"I know, I know," Al said a bit guiltily, scooting to the very back corner of the broom cupboard they'd both ran to for refuge after, well…

After Al had lit of some of the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes famous fireworks in the middle of the end-of-term banquet.

"This is a great way to wrap up the end of Third Year, isn't it?" Scorpius asked sarcastically, trying to readjust his body in the tiny space. On accident, he fell forward and planted his face straight onto Al's thigh.

His face flushed crimson, and he backed up as soon as possible. Still, their bodies were touching each other on nearly every level.

Al groaned, miserable in the tiny space.

Scorpius remained silent, an odd feeling stirring in his body. Even if it was one sided, he couldn't help but realize the way that the temperature in the cupboard was rising as their skin came in contact again and again.

* * *

Scorpius stood at the foot of Al's bed, his fourth year of calling it his own, with guilt heavy on his heart and obvious on his face. "Al," He pleaded for what seemed like the thousandth time.

The other boy ignored him behind drawn curtains.

"Al, I'm sorry."

Silence.

"I'm _sorry_. I didn't mean to make fun of you again, honestly!" The whole ordeal began over Scorpius's mentioning Al's lack of dating experience over dinner, earning raucous laughter from all of the nearby Slytherins, but also causing the smaller boy's face to drop and turn beet red.

"Scorpius, leave me alone. Go away." Al's words were clipped and hostile.

His heart fell. "Al… I… I was just kidding about you being inept at dating,"

Again, no response.

"Oh, really, Al." He was feeling impatient. "Al, can't you take a joke? I already said I'm sorry."

An indignant huff sounded.

"Fine," Scorpius said with finality. He turned on his heel, fists clenched, and headed to the door.

"… Wait! Scorpius, wait!" Al's voice said.

The blond looked back to see Al's head peeking out from the curtains. "What?"

"I… sorry. I know you were joking," He said softly, eyes at the floor.

Scorpius felt a swell of happiness. Al forgave him… "I'm sorry too, honestly."

Al smiled.

As Scorpius smiled back with ten times the happiness, he didn't take note of the fact that he was so terrified of losing Al without the boy ever belonging to him.

* * *

Scorpius reclined lazily on the Quidditch stands, watching the Slytherin team zoom around the clear afternoon sky. Al flew better than any of the team, high above them, searching intently for the Snitch.

Though Scorpius never really played Quidditch, he liked to watch Al play. The boy was honestly amazing at the sport. So, when the Slytherin team had practice on Saturday afternoons, he liked to relax in the stands rather than go to Hogsmeade or do anything with anyone other than Al.

"Hey Scorpius," A voice greeted from his left.

The blond looked toward the voice, and recognized his other dorm-mate who he'd never really talked to: Noah Zabini. "Hello Noah,"

"What are you doing here?" The dark-skinned boy asked cheerfully.

"I thought that much would be obvious," He didn't mean to come off as rude as he did; he was actually joking.

Noah nodded. "Watching Al, huh?"

"Watching the whole team, actually," Scorpius's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would you assume it's just Al?"

The other boy shrugged. "Because you're always doing something with Al,"

He did have a point.

"You two have an odd friendship." Noah continued after a silent moment.

Scorpius wasn't sure whether to be confused or offended. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the way you two interact… it's weird,"

The blond tried to think back to any time they'd interacted in any way that would be considered "weird". Everything they did was stuff they'd been doing since First Year, so naturally none of it seemed abnormal to him. "I don't know what you're talking about," He said a bit stiffly.

Noah shrugged again. "It's just like you two are a bit too close to be just friends."

Scorpius felt his chest squeeze uncomfortably. What exactly was Noah implying? That they were… _gay _or something?

Absolutely not. They were just normal, run-of-the-mill fourteen year old boys who were best friends and liked _girls_, not each other.

The accusation was enough to make Scorpius feel just a bit angrier than he'd intended, even though they spent the rest of practice watching in silence.

Over the feeling of rebellion he held against Noah, Scorpius didn't notice that he watched Al a bit more carefully after that.

* * *

No matter if every other seat in their room was available, Albus would often sit down on Scorpius's lap as if it wasn't a bit of an odd thing to do. After Scorpius, without fail, wouldn't make any indication of moving, Al would lay his unruly black head against Scorpius's chest.

When Scorpius would look down at him with a questioning, sometimes surprised, expression, Al would only smile in that same childlike way only _he _could manage. And, as if on cue, Scorpius would roll his eyes at the behavior that wasn't exactly socially normal and let his hands weave through the smaller boy's disheveled black hair.

If Scorpius would have paid attention, especially after what Noah implied about them, he would have realized that no other fourteen-year-old boys at school had that type of easy, affectionate relationship.

* * *

Al was never able to stop smiling around the common room when Scorpius was trying to entertain a group of people.

The usually-reserved boy suddenly became alive, basking in all of the attention that he rarely received, despite his matured, attractive look at fourteen.

Albus always stayed in the back of the groups, not interacting much, as his characteristic shyness always got the best of him. But he did love to watch his best friend in the situations.

And his favorite part was when Scorpius would say something that he knew would make Al laugh, and gray eyes would meet with green ones for about a second and half before the blond went on giving his attention to the group instead of the individual.

Though he never did, if Al would have paid attention to his own behavior, he would have realized the way his gaze lingered on Scorpius's face even after the other boy looked away, always resting there just a bit longer than he anticipated.

Their first kiss wasn't on the lips, or the cheek, or the neck, or anywhere ordinary and/or romantic. It was on Scorpius's forearm. And it was _not_ purposeful. In fact, it was the direct result of Albus tripping on the way to the Dinner table, falling and smashing his face unpleasantly on Scorpius's arm. Even still, the boys turned blood-red, and never spoke of the incident again.

If they would have paid attention, both Fourth Years would have realized that both of their bodies tingled where the contact was made.

* * *

During the intensive O.W.L study schedule Scorpius had inflicted on himself even as early in Fifth Year as October, he hardly had any time for anything other than just… studying.

As serious and straightforward he was about the exam, there was, without fail, one situation, on _person _who could make Scorpius completely disregard the fact that exams were over, that he needed to study, that all of the books were constantly left unfinished. There was one person who could make him forget that they ever existed: Al.

And that much, by any standard, was hard to miss even if they weren't focusing upon it.

* * *

Al wasn't sure _how_ they got to that position, but, too soon, he was laid out underneath Scorpius, his wrists pinned above his head by the larger boy who was straddling him in a dominant manner.

For half a second, he mentally addressed the fact that the entire situation could easily be misconstrued if anyone were to walk in… a boy straddling another boy, both shirtless, one's pants unbuttoned oh-so suggestively. But, before he could allow his face to heat up from this image, Al pushed the idea away with logic pushing its way in… Al had been in the middle of changing after Quidditch practice, after all, and Scorpius was two steps away from the shower before the whole… ordeal came about.

Boys will be boys, then?

"Say it." Scorpius demanded, a mischievous smile spreading across his face, which was slightly shielded by the ivory hair that curtained it.

"You win, you win!" Al laughed, his breath coming out in short pants from the effort he had been using to fight and then switched to using to struggle.

Scorpius smirked smugly and released the bruising hold on Al's wrists, sitting back from where he hovered over the boy, their hips rubbing together in a way both felt but didn't acknowledge.

"One day I'm going to beat you, you know." Al insisted when he was back across the dorm room, completing his task of pulling a fresh shirt over his head.

"Don't hold your breath," Scorpius shot an evil grin at Al, who glared back. "I'm taking my shower now." He said, and sauntered to the bathroom.

If Al would have paid attention, he would have noticed that Scorpius's usually-scalding water was icy cold.

* * *

Al was sitting up and waiting for Scorpius to come back from a library study session with Rose when he let his thoughts get the best of him.

_Why am I sitting on Scorpius's bed again?_

_Because it's comfortable. _

Logically thinking, all beds at Hogwarts were the same. And he knew for a fact that Scorpius hadn't… Charmed his bed more comfortable or anything ridiculous like that, so… why?

_Because you're used to it._

He gave merit to his mind, who spoke the truth. Most times when the boys were just hanging about the dorm, the time was spent on Scorpius's bed, whether sitting or lying or even jumping like that one day when their boredom was unfathomable. There was no particular reason that they never used Al's bed; in fact, it was normally Al who took initiative to come over to Scorpius's bed. So, thinking it all through only made him realize that it was his own fault that he was used to it. And… why was that?

_Don't worry about it. _

Al was content with that resolve.

He didn't quite feel his thoughts getting slower and less intricate, so it was quite a surprise for him to wake up the next day having never remembered going to sleep.

The still-small boy (who'd actually given up on growing a while back) rolled over to bury his face into his pillow in favor of comfort.

Al soon found that he wasn't back in his own bed. And the pillow his face met was the back of his best friend's head.

He withdrew his face, raising his head, the rest of his body freezing up slightly.

Before he had time to make sense of it, he relaxed again and turned over, sharing the pillow with the other boy comfortably.

_This… should be weird, shouldn't it? _His mind asked vaguely seconds before he drifted into sleep once again.

Around half an hour later, Al wasn't awake to notice Scorpius turning over to drape his arm around the smaller boy's middle… in his sleep, however, his dream became suddenly warm.

* * *

Al was always more feminine than any other boy he knew, from his borderline androgynous looks to more or less delicate personality and everything in between (until it came to Quidditch… in which time all of the testosterone the tiny boy could manage came out full-blast), so something about being more touchy with him never bothered Scorpius. It was almost like it was… normal, since Al was _pretty much _a girl anyway.

So, Scorpius couldn't really think of a logical reason why he found it such a surprise when Al came out to him in their Fifth Year.

"Scorpius… I think I… like guys." He'd said, small face blushing crimson straight at the ground.

And all the blond could do was gape at him like he'd just spoken in another language, making for a greatly awkward moment that was only more stiflingly so when Al hurried out of their dorm.

_But… _

He ran a hand through his hair. Why did this bother him so much? He'd never really worried about the fact before. Honestly, for as long as he could remember, Scorpius never really thought of Al as being… interested in the opposite sex. His mindset was never so blatantly "_Al is gay_" as much as it was "_I can't really imagine Al being with a girl…_"

But even still, that wasn't far off from the more forward one. If Al didn't belong with girls, and wasn't about to pledge a life of abstinence, then what was the only other alternative?

It didn't bother him, in that he didn't feel uncomfortable with the fact, and felt no inclination whatsoever to change anything about their relationship ("Odd" as Noah had called it in their Fourth Year)… but he felt… felt…

He really didn't know.

Deep down it was almost like… betrayal?

_But why?_

Because only _he _was supposed to think that about Al. No one else, even the other boy himself, was supposed to think that the Potter didn't belong with females, that the female population didn't _deserve _someone caring and gentle and loyal like Al.

Scorpius knew that he was going to get used to the fact that Al's homosexuality was now as official as it would get short of his dating another male (this thought flared up something… else in the pit of Scorpius's stomach), and he planned to help him through anything he might go through. He wasn't about to let Al think that he was alone in this. Scorpius would always be his best friend. No matter what.

And as Scorpius quickly hopped off his bed to find the smaller boy, he was too focused on the search to notice the subtle tug of irritation that'd been there since he pictured Al's hand clasped with someone else's.

* * *

Al liked Adam from Ravenclaw because, well, he was cute. Dark wavy hair, tall thin stature, well-structured facial features…

Oh, and he was bent.

By Sixth Year, it was pretty much common knowledge that Al Potter was gay (something he grew more and more comfortable with as time went on… as apparently it was "obvious", everyone close to him accepted it. The ones who didn't… they weren't important enough for him to care.), but not many other people were open about the fact. Adam from Ravenclaw was one of the only other openly gay boys at Hogwarts… and he happened to like Al.

They started dating after a cutely shy confession in Hogsmeade one day, and their relationship was actually very… innocent in comparison to many of their peers who boasted sexual tension and activity at sixteen. As Adam was Al's first real boyfriend, the other boy, a good guy, really, made sure that he was comfortable with everything before anything really happened. There was a lot of caution put into their interaction, a lot of new experiences for the small Potter in previously uncharted territory.

It was… nice.

Al was, at first, unsure of whether or not to tell Scorpius about his new relationship, afraid that it would make his best friend uncomfortable. After all, he could only imagine that it was weird to have a best friend who liked the same sex. But Scorpius was always interested in what Al had to say. He was always quite supportive of his best friend in his homosexual endeavors.

And that made Al happier than anything.

But because of that happiness, the Potter was always oblivious to the way that Scorpius's eyes darkened when he told him any news about him and Adam from Ravenclaw.

* * *

Scorpius sat up from his sprawled position on his bed, closing the book in his hands, when he heard the dorm room door open.

"Hey," Al greeted with a smile, broom in hand.

"Hey," The Malfoy lay down on his back, holding the book over his head to see the writing that he, honestly, wasn't paying much attention to. "How was practice?"

"All right, I guess. It was raining." Al shrugged, walking to his wardrobe and pulling his shirt over his head.

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm, I fell into some mud."

He chuckled. "How did that work out for you?" Scorpius mumbled, rolling over to his stomach glancing at his shirtless best friend.

Al grinned. "I'm a man. I can take it."

Scorpius cocked an eyebrow.

Al only laughed and hitched up his overlarge trousers.

Scorpius's eyes narrowed. "Those aren't your jeans." He stated.

A blush spread across Al's face.

"Whose jeans are those?"

"Adam's, actually." He replied quietly.

An odd feeling bubbled up in Scorpius's stomach. His brows furrowed. "You wear his trousers now?" He'd seen Al wearing things like Adam from Ravenclaw's sweaters before (something that enticed the same unpleasant reaction from him), but something like his jeans… didn't sit well with him. Sure, they'd been dating for almost four months already, but… he didn't like it.

Because what situation would Al have to be in to receive Adam from Ravenclaw's pants?

"It's really not what you think, Scorpius. I spilled something on mine when we were in his dorm the other day, so he gave me some of his to wear." Al explained quickly.

"You couldn't have used a Cleaning Charm on them?" He cocked an eyebrow. This explanation was… better than what he'd assumed, but he still didn't like the fact that Al was wearing another person's clothes.

Al shrugged and smiled just a little. "I thought it was sweet."

"Sweet." Scorpius repeated, stone-faced, looking straight into the smaller boy's bright green eyes.

"I'm going to take a shower," Al said hastily, turning toward the bathroom.

He nodded briefly before turning over once again to focus on his book.

Not that any reading got done at all.

As soon as he heard the shower water come on, the only thing Scorpius could do was remember the way the jeans sat low on his hips, dragged the ground at the bottom, looked altogether… wrong on Al.

Or maybe it was because he knew that the trousers belonged to Adam from Ravenclaw.

It wasn't that Scorpius didn't like the boy. He actually was a really good guy, the ideal first boyfriend for his best friend. He just… didn't like that Al had a boyfriend. Because, in the same way that he felt a strange, slight animosity towards anyone who somehow "knew" that Al was gay, he felt slight animosity towards Adam from Ravenclaw because well… (_Al should only spend time with me._)

He didn't know.

He was happy with the fact that Al was happy, and, with that logic, he should be jumping for joy because Al was wearing his boyfriend's jeans. After all, it was only a sign of a happy relationship.

But on another hand, the sooner the relationship was over, the better.

Why?

He wasn't sure.

When Al returned to the room, Scorpius was already half asleep. But that didn't mean that he missed the way the Potter looked at the jeans with a sort of adoring smile as he folded them to put them away.

What he didn't place, however, was the fact that his own stomach twisted up unpleasantly like always. Though, this was normal. What he only had half a second to notice before falling asleep was that his heart did the same thing.

* * *

"Scorpius, are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Al asked from his bed.

Scorpius looked up from the book in his hands and furrowed his brow. "Probably not, why?"

He shrugged. "I need to pick up some stuff. I didn't want to go alone."

"Why don't you go with Adam from Ravenclaw?"

Al grinned unexpectedly, doing something notable to Scorpius's heart. "Do you realize that I've never heard you call him anything aside from 'Adam from Ravenclaw'?"

Thinking back, Scorpius couldn't really remember a time when he'd called Al's boyfriend anything else. "What else would I call him?"

"Just 'Adam', maybe? Or 'your boyfriend', even."

A scowl twisted Scorpius's mouth downwards before he could control it.

The raven-haired boy laughed. "We broke up, either way."

Scorpius's eyes widened. This was a surprise, to say the least. As far as he could tell, there hadn't been any signs of trouble between the couple.

Not that he was complaining or anything…

"When?"

"A few hours ago," Albus shrugged.

Scorpius studied his expression. The other boy didn't seem heartbroken or hurt in the slightest. If anything, there was a tell-tale bit of a smile at the corner of his mouth. "Why?"

"It was my idea, actually. I just didn't like him like I did in the beginning. It was only fair to him to end it while we were still on good terms."

"Heartbreaker," Scorpius shot at him playfully.

Grinning, Al shrugged again. "I'm sure he's fine. We both felt that way. Nothing like that can last forever; he was my first boyfriend and all."

Though he felt slightly awkward, Scorpius had to ask, "Is your next relationship… going to be with a… guy…?" He blushed lightly, quite sure that he'd never said anything with less finesse in his life.

Thankfully enough, Al understood him and chuckled, eyes sparkling. "Yeah, it is. I _am _gay, Scorpius."

"How are you so sure of it?" Scorpius asked, looking troubled, half out of curiosity and half asking advice.

"I fell in love with a guy," Al said nonchalantly.

The Malfoy's eyes widened and his mind instantly began racing. "Really?"

"Yeah. But I can imagine that it's the worst possible way to find out; I wouldn't advise it." There was a grim expression on Al's effeminate features and a bitter tone to his words.

Scorpius's mouth was halfway to forming the question "_Who was it?_" when Al's voice cut him off.

"Hmm, I guess I'll ask Rosie to go with me tomorrow."

Knowing that the conversation had gone as far as Al was comfortable with, Scorpius dropped it. "I'll go with you. As long as you don't go chatting up some guys while we're there. Just because you're single doesn't mean that I want to see you being scandalous." He joked.

Al smirked. "It's alright. Everyone will probably think that _we're_ together either way."

Though Scorpius's mouth dropped open just slightly as Albus laughed, he had to fight to block the fluttery feeling in his stomach from registering in his mind.

* * *

Something about the summer months and the fact that exams were finished got the students of Hogwarts on a sort of high. Everyone was suddenly stress-free, and everyone could focus on their personal interests instead of their schoolwork. Naturally, Al Potter began to dedicate his time to Quidditch. Whether anyone else was there or not, for team practice or otherwise, the boy never failed to make his way to the pitch at least once a day.

He gripped his broomstick firmly by the handle (he'd decided that he didn't need to wear pads for just a routine lap or two around the pitch) and prepared to kick off the ground.

The feeling of soaring never failed to get to him, the warm summer breeze blowing his hair back from his face. He closed his eyes and blindly steered the broom around the pitch that he knew like the back of his hand.

"You know, you're pretty good at straddling that broomstick." He heard a familiar voice cheekily shout from the stands.

Opening his eyes to locate his best friends face, Al blushed in spite of himself and rolled his eyes deliberately. "You're so vulgar." He yelled back, watching Scorpius's grin only grow wider.

Al never stopped appreciating the fact that his best friend showed up at the pitch with him for at least a short time every day, doing nothing but sitting in the stands and watching. As much as Scorpius teased Al about every sexual innuendo associated with Quidditch and Al's fascination with "brooms", Al knew that it took something special for Scorpius to show up at all.

Had his eyes still been open as he passed in front of Scorpius, Albus would have seen a certain smolder behind Scorpius's mercury eyes.

* * *

Yeah, it was about halfway to being official. Scorpius kind of… a _little bit_… found Al… somewhat attractive. He'd grown to eventually accept the fact over the course of Summer Vacation, when the reaction his body had at the sight of Albus swimming, shirtless and grinning, at the beach near his uncle Bill's house became too much to deny, and the first few months of their Seventh school year, when suddenly every innuendo he'd ever made about Al riding a broom began to mean something completely different.

Just like with any other crush he had on any other girl, Scorpius gradually became more affectionate, more sweet, more… boyfriend material for Al without even meaning to. It was kind of weird, if he thought about it, the way that treating him like a girl he liked was so… effortless. It felt natural as breathing when he slipped his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders or his waist, when he brushed a piece of unruly hair away from his eyes, when he idly played with the fingers on Al's hand on his own lap when they sat next to each other in class, at dinner, in the dorm, in the common room.

Was it weird to have a _minor _crush on his male best friend? Yeah, a little.

Did he care? No, not really. Not when he had someone to picture in his mind just before he fell asleep and to see when he first woke up, or when he felt his heart stutter at Al's smile, only to find himself doing the same. Sappy as it all sounded, having someone crush on, regardless of gender, was a good thing for Scorpius. Crushes were warm, and sweet, and comfortable, and everything else that he really wanted from an innocent little relationship.

But that ideal warmth was more or less put at a standstill as winter rolled around, and there was less stimulating skin exposure and more layers of clothing built up around otherwise thin bodies as the air around them chilled and more time was spent around the fire instead of outside on the grounds. His main interest being Al, who loved nothing more than to spend hours at the Quidditch pitch, Scorpius didn't see the beauty in the winter at first.

But that only lasted until he discovered the genius of cuddling. Because even though he'd had girlfriends before who he was more than happy to cuddle with, he didn't really consider the fact that it was an option with his male best friend.

The Slytherins had Conjured a flame in a jar that they favored keeping around in the colder-than-normal underground dorm, customarily on the bedside table, but sometimes at the foot of either of their respective beds for times when layers of long sleeves and jumpers just weren't warm enough. And when all else failed (or they simply felt in the mood), Scorpius would move to the smaller boy's bed, or Al would come to his, and settle in behind him, wrapping his arms around the slight waist and pulling their bodies together, Al's back pressed against Scorpius's chest. Both had a way of pretending that nothing was out of the ordinary with such, and they would carry on with conversation or reading or homework as usual, acting as if the action didn't have their stomachs turning with nerves.

Scorpius was sure that he was the only one with a crush in the pair, but he didn't mind as long as Al would oblige to let Scorpius hold him like that for sometimes hours on end, letting the warmth roll through his body, both physical and emotional.

Had Scorpius's heard not been pounding so loudly that all other noise was completely drowned out, he would have noticed that his one-sided theory was proven false by the way Al's breath hitched at the contact.

* * *

Al didn't find it exactly fair that Scorpius was teasing him in such a way that had his mind so jumbled and useless.

Why was the blond acting like he did towards his girlfriends all of a sudden to Al?

Did he somehow find out that the first guy Albus had fallen for was in fact Scorpius himself?

No, he couldn't have. That was impossible. No one knew that, save for Rosie, who had promised in the strongest, most loyal way (excluding the use of spells) not to tell anyone else.

Did he… did he actually _like _Al?

He laughed humorlessly at the thought. Equally impossible. That… wasn't even an option.

Scorpius was straight. He was Albus's best friend, and he was straight.

He pushed the tiniest inkling of hope from his mind and his heart, chalking Scorpius's actions up to him being in an affectionate mood because of his lack of girlfriend as of late. After all, Al was just about as close to a girl as anyone Scorpius dated.

Savoring the feel of Scorpius's arms around his waist as they lay together in the dorm, eyes closed, he conveniently missed the way the blond opened his mouth like he was about to something important.

* * *

"It's snowing again, Al."

"Yeah? And?"

"You don't even have practice today. Come on, it's a bad idea,"

"If I don't go, I'll get rusty."

"It's one day, Al. I think you'll be fine. You won't get out of practice."

"You should know more than anyone that I'm going to go either way, Scorpius." Al cocked his eyebrow. As Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, he insisted on practicing every single day to keep up his skill level.

Scorpius crossed his arms at his best friend's blatant defiance of safety. He felt a bit like a worried mother, but he couldn't help but want to take care of the smaller boy. He didn't want his Al to get hurt…

… "_His Al_"?

He shook his head to rid himself of the thought, Al's wide green eyes still looking at him belligerently.

"If you're worried, Scorpius, then you should just come with me." His voice and his eyes both softened.

Scorpius's breath choked in his throat for a second, and he vaguely wondered when it exactly was that his best friend became so… adorable.

Though he was _this close _to cracking, the Malfoy stood his ground. "If I go, that would only mean encouraging your poor decisions." He said haughtily.

Al snorted and shrugged, walking past him and out of the dorm.

This left the blond staring after the door, mouth open, appalled, for a few minutes. Sooner than his pride would actually admit, he was out the door as well and headed to the Quidditch pitch to keep an eye on his best friend.

As soon as he stepped outdoors, the freezing air bit at his skin like tiny knives, the chilled wind making his face flush and his eyes water. He immediately began to shiver, and regretted not being more properly clothed, having walked out of the dorm in just a coat when he should have grabbed a scarf and gloves as well.

Gritting his chattering teeth as best as he could, he wondered why the hell he was so damn loyal as he trudged the grounds to the Quidditch pitch.

Scorpius arrived not a moment too soon to see Al recklessly swerving around the turns, the blond's heart nervously pounding in his chest. The other boy may be great at flying, but there was no amount of skill that could thin the fog that was nearly opaque in the sky.

"Al! Come down!" He uselessly called, cupping his hands around his mouth.

As expected, Al didn't hear him over the wind in his ears.

"Albus!"

The other boy was getting sloppier with his movements, the broom whipping around in a manner that Scorpius could recognize as being out of Al's control. His visible breath became more and more shallow as he could only predict a horrible near-future until it was completely held in his lungs.

Sooner than Scorpius expected, it happened.

Albus took a turn too sharply, vision obscured by the dense fog, and he slammed deafeningly into one of the goal posts, his shoulder taking the blow and the rest of his body tensing as he slipped from the edge of the broom.

"ALBUS!" Scorpius yelled, his heart stopping, fear making his bones mimic the outside temperature: like ice. He took off at a sprint, hand diving into his pocket for his wand, only to find that he he'd left in back in the dorm. _Damn it_, he thought, cursing himself; his stomach dropped at the same rate Al did.

There was a noise that shut off Scorpius's mind for a second when the other boy finally hit the ground. A definite _crack! _came from him, and then a yelp of pain.

"AL!" Scorpius's legs couldn't move fast enough, fear pulsing through his body.

By the time he made it to Al, the other boy was sprawled out pitifully, his leg bent at an awkward angle, his face screwed up with pain. Little whimpers escaped pale lips, his face nearly the same color as the snow beginning to cover him.

"Oh Merlin, Al," Scorpius collapsed on his knees beside the boy, eyes scanning over his body to see exactly what was wrong. He took a sharp intake of breath when he saw the unnatural bend of his leg. "Is it just your leg, Albus?"

Al's eyebrows scrunched together, and he gritted his teeth before he answered, "Leg… and my shoulder… _hurts_, Scorpius," He gasped.

Scorpius felt useless for a few seconds, trying to think of a plan. "Where's your wand, Al?"

"Front pocket," He choked.

The blond quickly reached into the other's jeans for the thin strip of wood. There wasn't enough time to feel how awkward the movement could have been.

The wand felt unnatural in his hand, but Scorpius couldn't do anything about it. Concentrating harder than he probably ever had, he placed one hand securely on Al's unharmed shoulder to halt any movement from the trembling boy as he pointed the wand at Al's opposite shoulder. He cast the only spell he'd used before to numb pain, strongly hoping that it would be effective.

Upon finishing the shoulder, Scorpius glanced quickly at Al's face for approval. The bright green eyes were open again, but glazed over as pain from the break in his leg overtook him.

Scorpius moved on to his leg, casting the spell once again. When he was finished milking the magic for all he could muster, confident with the fact that Al was no longer shaking with pain from underneath his protective hand, Scorpius looked at his face.

His heart stopped. Their faces were much closer than he'd originally noticed over the frenzy of helping his wounds…

Now-clear green eyes searched his own gray ones, switching focus from one to the other; Al showed no signs of shying away from their close proximity.

Mind going blank, Scorpius swallowed slowly and trailed his eyes down to Al's slightly-parted lips. They just looked so… inviting, now regaining their usual pink color as his face reverted to its warm light peachy tone.

"Are you okay?" He asked in barely more than a whisper, gaze still on the lips, the hold on Al's shoulder loosening.

Al shifted just slightly, using the elbow of the uninjured arm to prop himself up. He didn't say anything, just licked his lips before biting his lower one unsurely. His new position left their mouths barely centimeters apart, since Scorpius didn't move backwards at all when Al sat up.

The blond looked back into the again-unfocused eyes, impulse and affection getting the best of him as he moved his near-frozen hand from his shoulder to help steady the smaller boy's back, the other laying the wand in the snow to cradle the back of his neck, teasing the tips of short black hair.

His gaze flicked from the lips back into the eyes, and the slight smile he saw form in both was more incentive than he needed to close the miniscule gap in between them.

Just when his heart rate began to steady, it was thrown back into a zealously erratic pace, their cold mouths pressing against each other lightly, heads tilted at just the perfect angle, breath mixing in a small puff in between them. Scorpius felt quite like concentrated euphoria was just poured over his head, dripping warmth down throughout his body, seeping into his skin as he was in contact with Al, one hand pressing harder into his back to bring him closer, the other curling into the unruly hair sticking out from the other's head.

This was all so careless, actually inconsiderate, since Al _really _needed to get to the infirmary as quickly as possible, but honestly neither of them even remembered that fact as their minds became a white, undisturbed expanse that mirrored the landscape around them.

Scorpius pulled back as far as they'd been in the first place, eyes opening. Seeing Al's still closed, lashes brushing the tops of his cheekbones, he smiled and brought his hand away from the smaller boy's neck to run his thumb gently over the eye line and down the flushed cheek to tilt his jaw up. The Malfoy leaned in again, their lips moving together more intently than before.

It was only when Al tried to move his arm to wrap around Scorpius's neck that they broke apart, suddenly recalling the fact that Al was hurt.

Thankfully enough, Scorpius's deep anxiety was alleviated when he saw the small smile on Al's face that told him his spell was still in effect. He sighed and bent to pick Al up bridal-style, forever conscious of his hurt shoulder and leg.

Though Al weighed hardly anything, the way he had to be held because of his injuries made it a bit difficult to carry him all the way to the castle infirmary. He couldn't bring himself to mind, however, when Al leaned his head against Scorpius's shoulder, breath warming his neck the entire way.

Scorpius had to fight the sappiest smile from overtaking his face as he licked his lips, noticing the way that those felt the warmest despite the other's body heat pressing against his chest.

* * *

If Scorpius hadn't been comfortable with the idea of he and Al being together, then Al was sure that he wouldn't have acted upon his feelings at all. The black-haired boy had confidence in Scorpius's feelings for him (though he could only hope that they were as strong as his own feelings for the Malfoy), and their relationship was quite strong for the first few months they were together.

It was Scorpius's first homosexual relationship, and Al understood that. But contrary to his initial assumptions about the other boy, and how he may be more reserved or less accustomed to certain things, simple or drastic as they might be, Scorpius went about his relationship with Al in the same way he had any of his girlfriends. He seemed comfortable enough with everything they did, and progressed at a steady pace rather than a hesitant one as Al expected.

As a general rule, no matter whom they were with, Al and Scorpius didn't like PDA. They were okay with friendly touches and gestures that could be shared with anyone, but even things like holding hands walking down the hall got on their nerves. It may have seemed cold of them (and it caused some trouble in the past with their boyfriends or girlfriends), but it was just something they never really favored. To them, it seemed… clingy. Showy. Annoying.

Because of their lack of affection to each other around other people, there was no notable change between them as far as anyone else could see (Unless they counted the fact that Al was wearing Scorpius's clothes more than before… and Al looked much better wearing Scorpius's jeans than anyone else's). There were only the joking accusations of them being boyfriend and boyfriend from their friends and Al's family. And as usual, Scorpius would laugh, but not say anything. It wasn't denying, but it wasn't exactly confirming either.

Al couldn't lie. It bothered him.

If there was one thing he _didn't _want out of Scorpius being his boyfriend, it was the need to keep secrets from other people. If anything, finally being with the person he'd fallen for years before made him want to yell it from the Astronomy Tower for the world to hear, or do something crazy like that. He really hadn't considered the fact that since he was Scorpius's first boyfriend, admitting the fact that they were together would also mean Scorpius coming out. It was unnerving, and he could empathize completely with the other boy.

But that didn't mean that he didn't feel like he was being kept a dirty little secret every time he heard Scorpius laughing off other people.

It easily hurt the worst when Scorpius would move away from him whenever Rose would (rather often) come into their room after her tell-tale three knocks, pretending that they were never together.

"Oh please," She would say, "Don't mind me. Go back to… spooning or whatever I _know _you were doing,"

Still, Scorpius wouldn't move any closer. Al had to take the initiative to scoot back over to him and do something like lace their fingers together or lay his head on the other's shoulder. It didn't count as a public display of affection if it was it was only Rose.

"Did you tell her about us?" Scorpius asked after Rose left one of the times this happened.

"Yeah, why?" Al replied, having done so the day after they'd gotten together when Rose visited him in the hospital wing.

Scorpius didn't respond, and only chewed his bottom lip.

"Scorpius, if you're really not okay with telling anyone, then just say so." Al said, sounding more exasperated than he'd originally intended.

"It's just…" Scorpius trailed off, looking rather ashamed.

"I know where you're coming from, Scorpius. Don't worry about it. I'm sorry if me telling her bothers you. But, it's Rose. She knows more about me than even _you_ do. I promise she won't tell anyone. She's good at keeping secrets." Again, the last word came out with more spite than he wanted it to.

It seemed to strike a chord in Scorpius as well. "Secret?" He asked quietly, more to himself than to Al.

Albus made sure to hide the fact that it damaged him so much well enough that it escaped Scorpius's attention.

* * *

A certain compartment on the Hogwarts was always reserved for the Potter-Weasley-and-Friends clan, as one blue-haired prankster had magically expanded it years before many of them even began Hogwarts to accommodate everyone who wanted to join them.

Needless to say, it was always packed full of people. The entire Potter and Weasley lines were present every ride, along with significant others of them and various other friends. It was constantly noisy, but in a comfortable sense, with everyone carrying on their own respective conversations as the excitement for break was almost visible in the space.

There was always rearranging of seating placement, everyone moving to whoever they favored a conversation with that very second. In the end, however, it always ended up the same as it began. Though, somehow the space between everyone seemed to get smaller as the ride continued, until Al was literally forced to sit on Scorpius's lap. The position was favored this ride more than any of the others, as it gave them an excuse to be so close to each other, Scorpius's arms folded around Al's waist, his chin resting on the smaller boy's shoulder. Al couldn't help but smile at his place as his stomach flipped. His feelings hadn't dulled in any way as their relationship kept steady. Scorpius could always entice such a… well… _silly_ reaction from him at the simplest things.

"Oi! You two!" Fred Weasley called from the opposite corner of the compartment, seeing the boys. The compartment went quiet between them.

Scorpius and Al looked toward the slightly-younger Sixth Year boy.

"When are you two poufs going to start dating?" He asked, a grin spread across his mocha-colored features.

"Five months ago?" Scorpius shot back, an equally amused smile on his classically-handsome face.

Al's eyebrows rose along with Fred's and most of the rest of the compartment-inhabitants'.

"Called it," Breaking the thick silence that commenced, he high-fived Louis who sat beside him. "You owe me ten Galleons,"

"I do not! Non, tu me dois!" Louis exploded into a string of French, confusing everyone and putting the compartment back into its usual uproar, all attention off of the couple sitting in the corner.

Al first caught Rose's eye, and the redheaded girl gave him a wink and a thumbs-up. Then he turned to face Scorpius, eyes still slightly wider than normal.

"What?" Scorpius asked casually, gray eyes meeting green, smiles mirroring on respective faces.

Al laughed lightly and dipped his head to Scorpius's ear. Face heating slightly, he whispered, "I love you, Scorpius," for what seemed like the thousandth time.

Scorpius smiled at Al when he moved back away, and said, "I love you too, Al," without minding to keep his volume in check.

Underneath both of their almost-mischievous smiles, no one other than Al noticed the way Scorpius's hands shook as the entire compartment saw exactly the truth behind their words.

* * *

Above all skepticism from their peers or co-workers or family members, past all of their petty little fights and obstacles that they faced as time went on and they grew into their own careers, whether it was as a professional athlete or a politician, outside of school for the first time, through the time that they moved in together at a risky young age having been together for only a few years, it was almost painfully transparent to anyone with functioning eyes by the time they were saying their vows just how much the two men truly loved each other.

* * *

**A/N: **Yay for fluff! God, I missed these two :D Thankfully enough for me, it's _finally _Spring Break, and I actually plan on getting a lot of writing done. The completion of this was spurred on greatly by my love for KPop… do you _realize _how much slash goes on between Korean boybands? It's beautiful. For real. But, I have to credit some of my love of the SHINee 2Min couple to the fact that they remind me of Al and Scorpius :D

Sorry if this was painfully long to anyone. XD It's actually pretty long by my standard. But I actually like it a lot. It turned out basically exactly how I wanted it to seven months ago when I started writing it. :D

I HOPE YOU LIKED IT, PIGEON! :D

Oh, PS, my penname is going to change pretty soon. Just a heads up. It's going to be "mikssi", so don't get confused when that shows up :3 I've had my penname as KitKat-Pyrophobia much longer than any other, and I think it has run its course. XD

Anyway, **please review**, or put on any sort of **favorite **you please. :D

_KitKat Pyrophobia_


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